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The Widgeon was a military utility version of the four-five-seat commercial Model G-44 amphibian. The four-seat G-44 Widgeon was test-flown by LeRoy Grumman himself and Bud Gilkes on June 28, 1940.

It first went into service with the US Coast Guard as the J4F-1 in 1941 and as the J4F-2 with the US Navy in the following year. It also served with the USAAF (as the OA-14) and with the RCAF and Royal Navy as the Gosling.

In 1946 the G-44A appeared incorporating a number of improvements, including a deeper bow, step vents to improve hydrodynamics and modified internal equipment. The Widgeon originally seated four, but the G-44A was built with five seats, and some have been converted to seat six with the middle row of seats facing aft and their backs against the wheel wells. Grumman built 76 G44As.

Production of the Widgeon, with 200 hp Ranger inline engines, totalled more than 200.

Société de Aéro-Navale / SCAN of France built 40 aircraft as the SCAN 30, after the war circa 1956, most of which had their 149kW Ranger L-440-5 engines replaced by 223kW Lycoming R-680s.

McKinnon Enterprises converted more than 70 Widgeons into Super Widgeon executive transports powered by two 201kW / 270 hp Lycoming GO-460-B1D engines.Gannet Aircraft at Sun Valley, California, in late 1950s produced a modified version of Grumman Widgeon amphibian known as Super Widgeon and powered by two 300 hp Lycoming engines. The company used SCAN 30 airframes (license-built in France) for initial conversions.